Spicy Pinto Beans

 

Spicy Pinto Beans

By Namit Kathoria

 

Soaking time: Overnight

Preparation time: 15-20 min

Cooking time: 1 hour

 

Serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients:

10 sundried tomatoes rehydrated in boiling water (keep some of the water used to the side in order to add to the vegetable stock)

1 jar (550-600g) passata

4 cups vegetable stock /1 cup if you use precooked beans (including the water from the sundried tomatoes)

2 cups dried pinto beans (soaked overnight in salted water - the salt helps later for the beans to cook more evenly) / 1 large jar cooked pinto beans (600g) rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon olive oil + a little bit more for the cooking

1 large red onion / 2 small red onions finely diced

3 large / 4 medium garlic cloves grated

2 teaspoons brown miso paste

2 teaspoons molasses

1 tablespoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon hot paprika

⅛ - ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper

⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 bay leaves

1-2 chillies finely chopped

1 ½ cups cooked quinoa (optional)

1 jar (200-250g) corn drained (optional)

 

Garnish with lemon or lime wedges, some sliced avocado, chopped tomatoes and chopped bell pepper.

 

Preparation:

1. If you are using dried pinto beans soak them overnight, then drain and rinse them the next day. If you are using cooked pinto beans from a jar then simply drain and rinse them. Rehydrate the tomatoes in boiling water for about 15 minutes, chop them and keep the water after rehydrating for later usage.
2. If you are using an Instant Pot, set it to the sauté function. If you are using a normal pan take it to a medium to hight heat. Put in about ¼ of the olive oil with one piece of the onion. As soon as it starts to sizzle add in the rest of the onion and cook for about 5 minutes or so until the onion becomes translucent.
3. Now add in the garlic and the bay leaves and continue to stir for about 30 more seconds.
4. Add in the spices with another ¼ of the olive oil and the chilli if you are using. Continue to stir for around 30 seconds again.
5. Add in the miso paste, the chopped sundried tomatoes, the passata, the vegetable stock including the water from the sundried tomatoes, the pinto beans, the molasses, the paprika and the Cayenne pepper. If using dried beans, stir through and cook for about an hour and a half in a normal pan/35-40 min in an Instant Pot (start with the valve on the seal position and wait for the natural release to happen) and check that the pinto beans have become soft. If using precooked beans then cook for around 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Mix in the drained corn and the quinoa if you are using. Taste and see if you need to add in any more of the spices, the molasses or the chilli, etc.
7. Garnish and serve.

Where does your protein come from?

It comes from the pinto beans and if you are using quinoa then from the quinoa too.

 

To get more inspiration for healthy plant-based recipes please see our new nutrition and recipe book “Life” which is due to come out in 2022.